


I Wanna Get Better

by orphan_account



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Beaches, M/M, Magical Realism, Summer Sounds, phandom fic fest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-31 20:46:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15127502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Dan's stuck in life. A stranger at a party leaves him with a name and a feeling other than numbness.





	I Wanna Get Better

**Author's Note:**

> based on I Wanna Get Better by Bleachers
> 
> written for the phandom fic fest! though i might continue this

Twenty-one years old and Dan was stuck.

He was at a party, one his friends dragged him to. Really he was their ride home; they knew he didn’t drink and couldn’t even if he wanted to. He’d learned long ago that anti-depressants didn’t mix well with alcohol.

It was too hot in the room, the summer heat and sweaty skin making the atmosphere humid and uncomfortable. Drunk people were dancing around, making out, and getting high. His eighteen year old self would have joined them. He was merely a stranger to himself now.

He moved through the room, hiding out to the deck. They were at a beach house, the sound of the waves hitting the beach and people laughing making him melancholy. He used to love summer. 

Now he was hailing taxis home after work and screaming when the noise of his own head got to much. Staring at the ocean, he wished he could wash away with it.

He sighed, leaning against the deck railing. His friends, the ones he still talked to every now and again, were back in the party chasing girls and having fun. Meanwhile he, the ever depressing cloud of the friend group, was silently losing his mind outside.

He was always on the outside, looking in on people laughing and smiling, wishing to be one of them.

“Some party, huh?”

Dan jumped, turning to see a man next to him, one arm on the railing with an easy smile on his face. He had a floppy, black fringe and eyes that were vibrant in the dark.

“Uh, yeah, some party,” Dan sighed, turning back to the ocean view. The moon highlighted the waves like a painting.

“I think we’re the only sober ones here,” the stranger commented.

Dan shrugged. “Yeah, well, I can’t really drink.”

The stranger hummed. “Me neither. I mean, I can, but I really shouldn’t. I don’t want to anyways.”

Dan looked back up at the stranger, who was staring back into the house. There was something ethereal about him that made Dan’s chest squeeze. He felt overwhelmed, staring at this beautiful stranger who made Dan feel so lonely.

“What’s your name?” Dan had to ask.

The stranger turned back to Dan. “Does it matter?”

Dan blinked, taken aback. He stumbled for words. “I-I guess not.” It didn’t feel right, not knowing who the stranger was, or the stranger knowing who he was. “But I’m Dan.”

The stranger nodded like he already knew. “Dan, can I show you something?”

Dan didn’t hesitate to say yes. He felt the stranger grab his hand before tugging him along, taking him off the deck and onto the sandy beach below. Dan let himself be pulled along blindly, not even caring for any dangers that he could face.

He could feel himself metaphorically falling and he let it happen. Maybe it was the nice face or the loneliness in Dan’s heart, but he couldn’t find it within him to try to fight it.

By the time they stopped, they were far away from the house that only the waves hitting the sand could be heard. It was wondrous and Dan had forgotten how much he loved the sound.

“Look, over here.” The stranger pulled him to a crevice in the beach where ocean water had created a small pool of water surrounded by rocks. Inside were three fish, their scales glowing like the moon. They were no bigger than Dan’s hand.

“Wow,” he whispered, terrified to disturb the sound. He felt the stranger squeeze his hand before letting go, causing Dan to turn his head toward him.

The glow from the fish illuminated the stranger’s face and Dan felt a tug in his heart that he couldn’t ignore.

“You’re beautiful, yet you don’t believe it,” the stranger whispered, cupping Dan’s cheek. 

Dan was frozen, almost in a trance. He watched as the stranger moved closer until he felt something warm press against his lips, forcing his eyes closed.

He tasted the ocean, heard the waves crash next to his ears. He was drowning and he felt alive again.

Far too soon, the stranger pulled away, his lips hovering near Dan’s. “Find me again,” he whispered. 

Dan’s eyes slowly fluttered open. The stranger was gone. Looking down at the pool, he could see a forth fish had joined.

All he had left was the taste of the ocean and a name. 

Phil Lester.

**Author's Note:**

> once i had a shot of tequila and woke up sick as fuck the next day. don't drink while on anti depressants


End file.
